Advice for The Seattle Times job applications from Naomi Ishisaka
'Good ideas can come from anywhere and anyone'
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A big thank you goes out to Naomi Ishisaka, Assistant Managing Editor and Social Justice Columnist at The Seattle Times, for her thoughtful answers to a few questions about what it’s like to work at the major metro newspaper.
What advice would you share with those who aspire to work for The Seattle Times?
In addition to the journalism skills and experience needed for the specific position, successful candidates at The Seattle Times would also have a commitment to, understanding of and demonstrated experience with equity and inclusion. They would demonstrate collaboration, flexibility and agility in adapting to a fast-moving news environment as well as be creative with problem solving. We’re also always looking for people who want to experiment with and master the latest digital publishing tools and trends.
How can candidates make their applications stand out?
Emphasizing in your application how you would improve the work of The Seattle Times is always helpful. As a reporter, what ideas do you have to expand and improve our coverage? Or as a producer, what ideas do you have to improve our home page or other digital offerings? As an editor, what stories do you think we could do more of or frame differently?
Also, candidates’ experiences may not exactly match the skills we’re looking for in job postings. But that’s OK. Tell us a coherent story about how your unique experiences have prepared you for the job that needs to be done, and we’ll listen.
What is it like to work at The Seattle Times?
The Seattle Times is one of the last remaining family owned, regional newspapers in the country. This makes a difference as we are fully accountable to the readers and community we serve. This independence allows us the room to take risks and invest in deep reporting on a range of complex issues such as police accountability, the plight of the orca and of course, the wide-ranging impacts of COVID-19.
Our newsroom culture is collaborative and recognizes that good ideas can come from anywhere and anyone. It’s a great place to grow your leadership and your skills.
The Seattle Times is an audience-focused company, building a sustainable business model for community journalism through subscriptions.
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I'd love to hear from you with any questions, feedback or job openings you might have. Hit me up at mandy.hofmockel@gmail.com.